United States | State Department adds six additional ports of entry to visa bond program conditions

As of Jan. 8, the State Department has updated its list of required ports of entry under the Temporary Final Rule Visa Bond Pilot Program, authorized by Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, adding six new ports of entry.

Key Points:

• The current list of nine designated ports of entry, to which additions may be “added on a rolling basis” according to the update, includes:
• • Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) (Aug. 20, 2025)
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (Aug. 20, 2025)
  • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) (Aug. 20, 2025)
  • Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) (Jan. 1, 2026)
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (Jan. 1, 2026)
  • Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) (Jan. 1, 2026)
  • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (Jan. 1, 2026)
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) (Jan. 1, 2026)
  • Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) (Jan. 1, 2026)
• The update also notes: “The earliest date a visa holder who posted a visa bond may enter or exit at each port of entry is in parentheses,” and that failure to enter or exit the U.S. via the designated ports of entry may “lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded.”
• On Jan. 6, 2026, the State Department expanded its list of countries subject to visa bond requirements to include 38 countries.

Additional Information: The launch of the visa bond pilot program was announced in August. The pilot will run for 12 months from Aug. 20, 2025, until Aug. 5, 2026. More details on the bond payment process, required ports of entry, visa bond compliance and visa bond breach can be found here. During the pilot, there will not be a waiver application process.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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